Episode Notes
From the episode description on YouTube (elev8io), excerpt
Getting someone into treatment is only the first step.
What happens after they leave… is where recovery is actually decided.
In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Frank Galimidi, CEO of Sunview Wellness, to break down one of the biggest gaps in behavioral health today: the difference between getting sober and actually staying sober.
Frank shares real-world insights from nearly two decades in addiction treatment, covering:
- Why extended care (PHP, IOP, outpatient) is critical for long-term success
- How current business models and reimbursement structures influence care decisions
- The role of readmissions, referrals, and reputation in behavioral health
- Why outcomes—not just admissions—will define the future of the industry
If you’re a treatment center owner, operator, or leader in behavioral health, this episode will challenge how you think about recovery, growth, and patient outcomes.
- 00:00 – Why recovery doesn’t end after treatment. The gap between getting sober and staying sober.
- 03:00 – How behavioral health has changed in the last 5–7 years. Access to care, payer scrutiny, and the shift toward scalable models.
- 05:00 – Why extended care is where real recovery happens. From detox to real-world reintegration.
- 08:00 – The business model behind treatment centers. Why detox and residential dominate the market.
- 10:00 – The uncomfortable truth about readmissions. How relapse is often built into the system.
- 16:00 – Trust, trauma, and why time in treatment matters. Why real clinical work can’t happen in 30 days
- 18:00 – Insurance, reimbursement, and industry scrutiny. How past practices shaped today’s payer landscape.
- 26:00 – Why PHP/IOP struggle as a business model. Marketing challenges and lower reimbursement realities.
- 30:00 – Outcomes vs admissions: what actually drives growth. Reputation, referrals, and long-term success.
- 36:00 – Alumni programs: support vs revenue strategy. Where many facilities get it wrong.
- 40:00 – Advice for treatment center owners & investors. What it really takes to succeed in behavioral health today
Staying Sober: The Role of IOP and Group Therapy
Summary by the Sunview Wellness team
The gap this episode describes, between getting sober and staying sober, is where intensive outpatient care does much of its work. In an intensive outpatient program (IOP), people attend treatment three days a week, in the daytime or the evening, while going back to work, school and family life, so new skills are tested in real conditions and brought back to sessions. Group therapy sits at the center of that process. Hearing how others handled a hard conversation, a craving or a stressful week, and being honest about your own, builds the accountability and connection that early recovery depends on. It also helps people build a sober network that lasts after formal treatment ends. At Sunview Wellness, IOP is one step in a continuum that also includes partial hospitalization and standard outpatient care. Learn more on our intensive outpatient program page and our group therapy page.
